Deception
by assassinv
Summary: The loss of her father at an early age left Sabina with a fate that would not be explained to her for many years. When she makes the decision to join her brother with the assassins, she learns that her father's life goal was to protect her so that she may fulfill a prophecy. Sabina's adventures take her through love, loss, sorrow, and success.
1. Chapter 1

She was seven years old when Sabine lost her footing on the world. A strong, handsome family was stripped of its foundation. But the world continued, and the family flourished after the tragedy.  
It was a cool summer night. Sabine's father worked with a theatrical group, so he always left the house in a particular hooded costume. He would kiss his wife, one arm hug his son, and pick Sabine up and spin in a circle before setting her down and kissing her forehead.  
As he headed for the door, he called for his son to follow him to discuss something. As requested, the son trailed outside. Sabine would not have any secrets without her knowing, so she ran out the back door, and hid in some nearby bushes as she approached the front of the house.  
She saw her father and son talking quietly. Every once and awhile, they would fall silent. Their conversation must have been a pretty serious one. But after about 5 minutes, Sabine's father glanced over to her hideout and gave a wink. Sabine remain motionless. How did he know where she was? He is so far away!  
Within moments of the wink, a loud crashing sound startled the two, and Sabine let out a small yelp. Two men came running from the other side of the house, grabbed Sabina's father, and pulled him to the ground.  
That's when the brawl started. Fists made contact with faces, yelling, screaming, and then the sound of a sword unsheathing.  
Sabina screamed in terror as she saw her dad pull what looked like a small knife from his sleeve and thrust it at an attacker. Her brother had been knocked to the ground by the other. A sword was aimed at his throat.  
Sabine's father slammed the blade into one pursuer and shoved the body away as he grabbed the man who had his son pinned down.  
Before Sabine could stand to escape, her brother ran to the bushes where she hid and grabbed her around the waist. He ran to the house with her and slammed the door loudly behind him, locking it and all the windows.  
Sabine's mother came frantically to his aid. Struggles could be heard from outside.  
Sabine ran upstairs and peaked out of her window curtains. She saw the man with the sword had her father laying helplessly on the ground. He raised his sword and-  
Sabine was quickly pulled away from the window as she heard a scream of agony. Tears filled her eyes as she knew her father had been slain. Her brother held her tightly, and she curled up into a ball as she sobbed. Her mother could be heard from downstairs, also reducing to tears.  
That was the night that her brother, Volkard, age 15, became the head of the house. The year was 1352, and Germany was falling under a terrible rule.  
Sabine would grow much more before she could learn the truth about that fateful night. It would be many years before she would understand the sacrifice that her father had performed.  
Sabine didn't know what she really was. Nor would she for over 10 years.


	2. Chapter 2

Eleven years later, Sabine was a beautiful, young woman. She had long, flowing blonde hair that reached for her hips and bright blue eyes that could blend with the beautiful sky. The night that of which stole her father never left her mind, however, she was always a kind heart and a light spirit.  
She and her brother always were together. He would not let her go anywhere without him. This made them tight as rope, and they were the best of friends.  
Today, it was warm but breezy, and Sabine and Volkard were out enjoying the festivities of a small festival. There were fresh fruits to purchase, lovely accessories for your hair, and fun toys for small children. Sabine chose a peach colored ribbon for her hair, and let her brother tie her hair back.  
"You must cease your beauty", Volkard said. "Or else the boys will not leave you be, you would need a stick to fight them off with."  
"Don't be silly, I can wield more than you give me credit for" replied Sabine. "I'm sure I could handle at least a tree branch. Or something".  
Volkard chuckled. "You could handle any weapon".  
She gave him a gentle shove. "You won't let me play with knives."  
"Not yet," said a smiling brother. "Maybe one day."  
The festival was gathering many towns people to come and dance in the streets and marketplaces. Neighbors and friends came to enjoy the fun of socializing with familiar people. Sabine soon found herself dancing with the people of her town, her brother kept a watchful eye on his sister.

As they left the party in the town together, Volkard and Sabine talked as they always do.  
"You're going to need to fend for yourself", he says.  
"That's something I can't do till you get off my back and quit following me around everywhere I go", replied a smiling Sabine. "I'm sure I can take care of my own self, why do you always keep track of me, like I'm a pet? Not that I mind, that is", she quickly added.  
Volkard stopped to pick up a large rock on the ground.  
"The world isn't safe."  
"I want to defend myself."  
"You don't have the training yet. I can't let you out here on your own. I don't want anything to happen like what happened to father."  
Sabine fell silent.  
"Then train me to defend myself."  
Volkard smiled and closed his eyes.  
"I will train you."  
Sabine nodded in approval. They continued walking till they heard a strong voice calling their names. Sabine turned around to find Milos headed towards the two.  
Milos was Sabine's boyfriend of the past 4 years. He was 19 and was making a business from a bakery. He grabbed Sabine and kissed her on the cheek before greeting Volkard and asking Sabine to spend dinner with him.  
Volkard smiled and told Sabine to be home before sundown. Her excitement that she was being given permission to be out and about somewhere on her own created a smile on her face, and the two headed back toward the market area, to join Milos and his family for a dinner.

As she headed home (just after sundown), Sabine felt very cautious. She had never been out at night by herself. Not that it scared her, but there was a very distinct feeling of being followed by someone. Sabine stopped and closed her eyes. She heard in the near distance feet scuffing to come to a halt, as well. She opened her eyes.  
"You've been following me since I left my brother. Why?"  
Silence.  
Sabine turned around and looked about the area. She saw nothing other than the few homes she passed on her way back to hers and a tree in between the houses.  
"You're not going to fight me. If you do, it's not going to be in your favor", said Sabine into the emptiness anxiously.  
A figure appeared from behind one of the houses to her right. Sabine tightened her fists. It was a hooded man. A hooded man whose costume was very much like that of her father's old theater costume...  
"Don't tell Volkard", said the man. "I'm not supposed to show myself. But I had to meet you."  
Sabine stared at the man.  
"Oh, I apologize. I am Rikard. I am... a friend of your brother's."  
"I have never met you."  
"But of course not. Not before now, of course."  
"Of course", Sabine replied suspiciously.  
"Who are you? Why do you wear that?"  
The man hesitated.  
"I wear this because... I am... I am... I am an entertainer... Yes. I climb things. To entertain. And. That is why I stand before you dressed like this."  
Sabine did not buy it.  
"How do you know my brother?"  
"Oh. Well."  
The conversation was stopped when Sabine heard another set of footsteps behind her. She spun on the spot with fists still tightened to see her brother, Volkard approach the scene. He forcefully applied the palm of his hand to his face.  
"This is not how you were supposed know."  
Rikard took a step back.  
"I didn't mean to. She knew I was following her! No one has been able to detect me like that. You're right, she really is-"  
Volkard's facial expression brought Rikard's spiel into a halt. He turned to Sabine.  
His eyes were full of anxiety.  
"Sabine. I planned on discussing this with you tonight. Because you need to know the truth."  
Sabine unclenched her hands. She knew things were about to change.  
"We lied about father's attackers. They weren't robbers. They didn't get away. Father wasn't an actor."  
Sabine felt a hole in her chest form. The basis of her life was changing and the couldn't decide if she was angry or saddened about the information she was receiving. Rikard stood silently behind the two and lowered his head.  
"He was a warrior. The attackers were his enemies. Our enemies. We are all warriors. You and I were born into a family that protects innocent people and fights against those who want to destroy freedom and peace in the world. You were born into the world of the assassin."  
Sabine remained quiet.  
"Assassins... We are here to stand up for those who can't and stop those with great power from abusing it and destroying life. They are currently why this world is so difficult. They are why children cannot explore into the night. They are why families are found missing or dead in the mornings. They are Templars, and they are the ones who killed dad.  
"We need you to join the fight. You have it in your blood to be an assassin, you will succeed. Please. We have been waiting to recruit you, but we need you now."  
Sabine stared with pained eyes at Volkard.  
Rikard leaned in to hear her response.  
"No."


	3. Chapter 3

The two men stood in disbelief as they stared at her.  
"No?" Volkard repeated. "You cannot just say 'no', we need you."  
"So", Sabina flared. "My life is no decision of my own? Do you really think you can just come over to me and tell me exactly what in my life I need to do? Determine my future? I shall not take it."  
"Sabina, I do not mean-"  
"Wait", Rikard interrupted. "This is not about you."  
"Excuse me?"  
"NO WAIT" he continued, beginning to panic. "Hear me out, bitte. This is not about you. It is not about me. We need you because it is about the people".  
Sabina continued her glare.  
Rikard's face blanked and he glanced to her brother. "The people..."  
"There are people dying", Volkard began. "Father was protecting innocent people through this organization because there is another group out there who want just the opposite. There are people... They're killing them... Anyone, everyone. Please, kleine Schwester, if father were here, you would already be there."  
Sabina was slowly digging her foot into the ground impatiently. She kept her eyes to the ground before looking back up at the two.  
"Father would never have forced me into something like this", she mumbled.  
"Father never would have made you do anything", said Volkard. "You would have wanted to do this, because you probably would have known, he was going to tell you, but he passed before-"  
"Yes, he did."  
More silence engulfed the group.  
"Assassins, ja?" Sabina whispered.  
"Ja"  
"So," Sabina closed her eyes. "In order to save people from being killed, I have to... Kill."  
"Only those who will harm others."  
Sabina opened her eyes and turned her eyes to the sky.  
"Is this what father would have wanted?"  
"This has been the plan since before you were born."  
She began chewing her lip.  
"Only for father."  
The two men smiled, and Volkard ran up and hugged Sabina.  
"You won't regret this, Sabina. I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

The journey to their new home began the following morning. Sabina never anticipated leaving her home, but she said goodbye to her mother, who would go into hiding, which was not thoroughly explained to Sabina. She collected all of her most personal items and left with her brother and Rikard. She never even got to say goodbye to Milos.  
The trip to the unknown destination took several hours, even on horse. They traveled far into the mountains, and Sabina did not know when or where they would eventually, hopefully, soon arrive.  
The sun was beginning its descent when the trio passed the end of several small mountains, they turned the corner and saw a small castle perched uptown a tall hill. Sabina's jaw dropped. Despite its size, it was a sight, and Sabina hoped sorely to live in it.  
"We are here", said Volkard with a smile. "We are finally home."  
Despite her skeptical mood, she was excited, but remained calm.  
As they neared the castle, Sabina noticed archers perched at the top, thoroughly examining the guests. They seemed to recognize Sabina's friends, because they did not pelt them with a cloud of arrows.  
They dismounted the horses and entered the building. The archway through which they crossed under was so high, that not even Volkard would be able to reach the peak of the entranceway if he stood on a horse. Or if he stood on a horse that was standing on another horse.  
The castle was even more elegant on the inside than it was on the outside, and it seemed impossibly large, considering how short it was before they entered. However, the environment seemed a little strange.  
Everyone inside the castle was dressed in a cloak, a hood, shawls draped around their necks, or anything that seemed to give them a more secretive look. It was like they all had a reason to hide something. They all reacted in a similar way to seeing Sabina, however.  
They stopped walking and looked at her. All eyes followed her every first step into the fortress. She was looked over, as if being analyzed, judging her. Some of them smiled. Some stood in shock. Many seemed pleased, which made Sabina incredibly suspicious. Even more so when she noticed a few of these mysterious people shaking their heads.  
One woman ran up to her and grabbed her hand and shook it violently.  
"Ja," she said with excitement. "We knew, you are finally here! We have been waiting. I cannot wait for-"  
"Bitte" Volkard jumped in, guiding the woman away from Sabina. "She needs her rest. Please, leave her be. We shall all meet her later." Volkard forced a very awkward grin.  
"What is this about?" Sabina uttered, still started by the sudden greeting.  
"Oh, nothing. Father was just... Popular, and we have been waiting for the whole family to be here."  
Sabina thought that Volkard's words made no sense, but went along with it.  
"We will have a dinner to celebrate", Rikard said. "You must prepare. And you must change, you will become one of us, you cannot dress like this" as he gestured to Sabina's young girl's attire.  
"How dare-"  
"Ooookay!" Volkard raised his voice. "Only a few hours till dinner, and then, you shall meet everyone."  
Rikard scurried out of the room that they had eventually reached, and Volkard turned to a chest at the foot of a bed.  
"Okay", he said. "You will soon be one of us. You will dress as one of us, to confirm your identity with, well, us."  
Sabina chewed at her nails.  
"What if this was a bad decision?" She felt anxious about the entire situation. Everything about the new place was very... Strange.  
"I know it seems weird, but everything will make sense with time", said Volkard. "Please, just trust me. Trust father. "  
He handed her the pile of folded clothes. Sabina looked to the hammock above her bed, determined that no one was occupying it, and took the clothes from her brothers arms.  
"If you're wrong about this", she took her hair out of the long, blonde pigtails. "I will be so angry with you. I will never forgive you to love you again. And I mean it this time. Ja."  
Volkard smiled. "I'll be back in a while."  
Sabina unfolded the clothes on what she assumed to be her new bed, and examined the rugged, hooded coat that she was about to put on.


	5. Chapter 5

Sabina was fiddling with one of the top layers of her attire when someone entered the room.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry! I shall leave!" said a woman with brown hair. "I hadn't known you had arrived."

"Please don't leave", Sabina began. "I don't know how to wear this…. This strange shirt." She turned over the garment over in her hands as she examined its hood. It was obviously part of a set, several layers involved with making the outfit complete. There was an undershirt with long sleeves, to wear over the first shirt, also long sleeved, long pants, and the piece that Sabina was currently messing with.

"Oh, that is actually two more parts, this is a sort of belt," She unwrapped a large, leather corset-like belt. "And this", the woman separated the waist-belt from the rest of the large cloth. "This is actually the main part of what you wear. It's the hooded coat, it's really long. Here, you put it on over everything, and then put this on." She held it upright so that Sabina could understand how to put it on.

"Wait," Sabina continued to struggle with the clothing. She slipped the coat over her head and got stuck trying to put her arms through where her head would go. "I am not good at this game!" cried a muffled Sabina.

With a few more minutes of helping her learn how to put her new costume on, Sabina looked very different. The top layer of cloth reached to her ankles and her hood easily reached her nose, even when it lay loosely atop her head. The first shirt's frilly, lacey cuffs poked out from the top sleeve, and the coat did not have sleeves, but the cloth over the shoulders extended slightly past her arms.

"Why do you all wear things like this? Why do you hide your faces so much?"

Sabina's new friend smiled at the silly questions.

"We are assassins, are we not? We want to prevent those who should not know who we are from, well, knowing who we are. We work in the darkness to serve the daylight. Or, so it goes."

"Maybe you," Sabina said, her voice low. "I am not one of you. Your kind looks upon me as if I were a witch, or had no face. Something strange. I do not feel like I will be part of what you are."

"Don't be silly!" the woman said with a laugh. "The only reason people are a little…. Uncertain about you, is because you are new. We tend to make a habit of staring down newcomers- it tends to weed out the weak. Besides, we've been waiting for you, specifically."

"Why? Why have they been waiting for me? Of all people?"

"My name is Ghiliane, by the way", she interrupted.

"Oh, I am Sabina."

The one named Ghiliane smiled and said "Yes, we have known you would come to the assassins soon."

Sabina went to pursue her for answers, but Volkard reentered the room and beckoned for the two to follow him. Ghiliane insured Sabina that answers would be provided in time. 


End file.
